VTEST: FPGA-Based SoC Validation Framework

Post-silicon validation of System-on-Chip (SoC) designs is traditionally dependent on a wide array of external hardware tools, software utilities, and host-controlled workflows to evaluate power, clocking, functional logic, and debug interfaces. These fragmented setups often involve separate controllers for power sequencing, JTAG probing, clock programming, and firmware loading, which increases validation time, complexity, and the likelihood of interface mismatches. Moreover, the lack of runtime reconfigurability and signal level observability limits early-stage silicon bring-up, especially when multiple voltage rails and interface standards are involved. To address these challenges, an FPGA-based validation framework is proposed that unifies multiple validation paths through a compact and reconfigurable setup. Power rail sequencing and voltage setup is achieved by configuring a single I2C slave PMIC to drive multiple outputs, enabling full power-up validation across SoC domains. On-chip temperature sensing and current monitoring are also integrated for health checks. Multiple JTAG and boundary scan interfaces present on the SoC are accessed through a common FPGA-controlled JTAG interface, enabling ATPG, BIST, and debug module validation without requiring separate hardware connections. Clock sources across the SoC are configured dynamically using two-wire I2C or SPI lines to programmable oscillators, allowing flexible frequency programming without external tools. Reset lines are controlled through programmable logic, supporting glitch injection, sequencing, and controlled de-assertion for robust startup validation. Firmware loading is accomplished over Ethernet, while debug visibility is provided through integrated logic analyzers and UART-based logging-eliminating the need for software driven utilities. By consolidating all validation stages-from power integrity to protocol and debug analysis-into a single FPGA-controlled environment, the framework enables high observability, reduces hardware dependency, and supports full automation. Leakage and operational current profiling, trace capture, and firmware execution tracking are seamlessly handled through minimal signal routing. This approach significantly reduces the need for protocol converters and debug utilities, offering a scalable and efficient solution for validating modern SoC designs in both engineering and production environments.